Climbing in Red Rocks after heavy rain can permanently damage the rock! MORE INFO >>>

The sandstone in Red Rocks is fragile and is very easily damaged when it is wet. Holds rip off and climbs have been and will continue to be permanently damaged due to climbers not respecting this phenomenon. After a heavy storm the rock will remain wet, sometimes for several days. PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB IN RED ROCKS during or after rain. A good rule of thumb is that if the ground near your climb is at all damp (and not powdery dry sand), then do not climb. There are many alternatives (limestone, granite, basalt, and plastic) nearby.

This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project.You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.

Description

I enjoyed this route as much as Crimson Chrysalis - it is more crack oriented, less crowded, but has some less than stellar rock on a few pitches. In the past year or so, bolted belays were added which changed the character of the route a bit. Now it is possible to do the best pitches and rap off. Personally I think the addition of bolted belays is a good thing, otherwise some of the belay locations would be awkward. The crux pitch now has an extra bolt (see description). I do not know the origin of these new bolts.

The start of the route may be identified by a 6-12" crack that goes up to a scrubby tree. This crack is clean but the start looks like a grunt, so we climbed a thin crack to the left and stepped right, which seemed harder than the 5.7 rating of this pitch. Continue up past the tree, and climb double cracks (see Swain's topo) up a slot to a bolted belay at the top of a flake/pedestal (5.7, 130').

P2: Move down and step right, then head straight up cracks, through a short chimney, and follow more cracks to another bolted belay (5.8, 150'). I thought this was the best pitch on the route.

P3: Head up to a right facing corner and crank past a small overhang. Crank over and then follow a wide crack and less than stellar rock to the next belay (no offwidthing necessary) (5.8, [90' according to comment below]).

P4: The crux pitch. Move up and then right to a new bolt. Continue up to an ancient 1/4" bolt. There is a new bolt maybe 3' higher than the rusty bolt. I don't know why they didn't just replace the 1/4" bolt. The rock on this pitch is a little suspect, but the crux section is not too long and is now quite well protected. Continue on up to another bolted belay. This is the last bolted belay on the route, so if you want to go down, do so now. (5.9, 140').

P5: This pitch has a reputation for bad rock, and indeed be extra careful as a hold could easily snap off. However bad rock in Red Rocks is still pretty good. Follow a steep crack through nice (too nice) horizontal dikes to a huge ledge. Throw in protection often in case a hold snaps off, this pitch has recorded some spectacular falls, but it is really not that bad, just be careful (5.8, 150').

P6: Scramble easily past bushes to a large chimney, climb the corner to the left and belay on a large ledge at the base of a left facing corner (5.2, 160').

P7: Climb the left facing corner, then move right to a weird dihedral above a bottomless chimney. This next section is hard to protect due to the zig-zag nature of the pitch. Stem up and finish the pitch at a notch (5.7, 160'). Alternatively, follow bolts directly above the belay (this is the final pitch of Unimpeachable Groping). From there either rap Unimpeachable, or rap into the notch from a single bolt, and continue as below.

Descent: Do one double rope rappel to the south, trying not to get your ropes stuck in the cactus. Scramble down to the base of a bowl, and then do three more double rope rappels down black water streaks, the route Power Failure. The anchor for the second rappel down the waterstreaks is off to the right (facing the wall). Do not go off the end of your ropes! Scramble down around the toe of the buttress to your packs.

I'm surprised to hear (and have mixed feelings about) the new bolted anchors on the route. I suspect that one of the things which kept Ginger Cracks less crowded than Crimson Chrysalis is the fact that the belays were not fixed (and sometimes uncomfortable), and that it would therefore be impossible to bail after the crux pitch without leaving a lot of gear behind. I still doubt that it'll be as crowded as Crimson, given the quality of rock, but the bolted belays seem to change the character of the route.

George, I believe that Jules George, the owner of Red Rock Resole, was killed in a motorcycle accident a while back. She was a J-Tree and later Red Rocks local. Very sad. Not sure if someone else took over the business.

Mike:I just wanted to take the time to personally thank you for taking on this effort. If you ever need any help don't hesitate to contact me. I love the haunting walls and canyons of the Red Rocks. rerockresole.com was a great database and clearing house of information but with the tragic loss of Jules George things were looking bleak. Thanx again for keepin' keepin' on! Philo

I found Ginger Cracks to be a thoroughly enjoyable route! The bolts don't detract from the route at all, considering the amount of natural gear and the quality of the rock.The newly bolted top pitch variation will no doubt generate some controversy, but we joked about it being the sport climb with the longest approach in RR (do the first 6 pitches of Ginger Cracks)! This route is a great day out, and comes highly recommended. The easy descent is a bonus.

The real start to P1 has a grunty move or two, but not bad really. I thought P2 had some fairly stout moves on suspect (hollow-sounding) rock right off the belay ... P3 I remember as 5.7, and not really a roof so much as stepping over or around an overlap. I barely noticed the crux on P4, it was really sweet and smooth climbing.

NB that you cannot link P4 and P5. My partner hung himself off of tiny sh|t 20' below the huge ledge, and it was up to me to Not Fall on those 20' of loose too-big horizontals.

We went up & over (this was in 2001?), but given the choice today I'd rap after P4 - between the bad rock, grunty 5.5 that followed, and rope-snarling bushes in between raps above, it detracted from the day (and led us into night, as it were).

The left hand bolted variation at the top of Ginger Cracks is actually the last pitch of Unimpeachable Groping.

If you elect to do the bolted route on the left, the descent is slightly different. Rappel into the notch from the single bolt and then continue down the normal rappel route as it is described in a number of books. Do not try to rappel the entire distance off the single bolt.

I found this to be a great route, not busy and pretty much in the shade from mid morning to afternoon. I would not characterize the rock on pitch 5 as "bad" but rather as "not as good" as the other pitches, besides it is well protected. We also did the bolted variation (unimpeachable groping) on the last pitch, I thought it was a great finish with nice exposure. The rap off of this pitch is a good looking bolt that was backed up with a good stopper (#5 ?). We double rope rapped to right above the water streak. It is low angle, but ropes pulled okay, and if they were to get stuck it may be 5.2 to go retrieve them. Kick-Ass route, Finish early and do Power Failure next!

This is a great route. The crux pitch (#4) was one the most beautiful pitches I have ever done. Pitch 5 is also great, steep and exposed. If it wasn't for the less attractive final two pitches this would be a three star route for me. Definitely worthwhile doing.

just some advice i dont know who put them their or why but towards the end of the second pitch theirs two bolts under a roof to the left, after the finger chimney, dont stop here trend rightand follow the crack system after the roof to get to the end of the second pitch. so far out of the red rock climbs ive done, as a local, this is my favorite by far . rex

this is a great route- a total must do for any visitor to Red Rock. the quality of rock is high for the entire route, despite how it looks when you get on it up higher- dont let the short 4th class pitch distract you- the last pitch is great and a wild lead at the grade.

the belays are only bolted until the top of the crux pitch, after that, you're building your own.

i do think that all of the lead bolts save one are unnecessary- why the other three are up there, i have no idea.

great route, absolute must do- certainly a classic at the grade. and, if you're fast, you can also tick off Power Failure, another good route, on the way down!

um, yes- you could theoretically rap unimpeachable groping from the top of the 4th class- but given the option, i'd at least climb the last pitch of unimpeachable (if the wide last pitch of Ginger doesn't suit you), then rap Power Failure- four quick raps vs six or more.

John thanks for the beta, the reason i am asking is that i am flying down there for a few days and have the chance to climb in between work and i was thinking it might be a faster rap from there and then be able to hop on unimpeachable groping and kind of link the two to get in the most pitches possible. Kinda jonesin to climb as much as possible because it is about negative ten where i live right now. also if you know of any good linkups in the 10 to 10 + range that can be done in winter i would be psyched to hear about them. thanks

There is a set of anchors directly below the anchors at the top of power failure that make rappelling very easy if you have two ropes. This anchor is two good bolts with newly added chains. The anchor is hard to see until you are right at it, but if you keep heading directly down from the top anchor you cant miss it. It means two quick clean raps vs three somewhat sideways raps.

Did this route yesterday. There are indeed 3 'new' bolts on the crux pitch 4. The old 1/4 incher apears to have been chopped. The 1st 2 bolts are ~ 20-30' above the belay and the 3rd is maybe 15-20' higher.

Pitch 5 was fun and yes there are still some 'portable' handholds on it but they are pretty obvious. Just test them 1st then find another if one is suspect. This pitch has many handholds and great gear! The last 'wild' pitch above the 'bottomless' chimney is very cool and pretty well protected. There are a couple of committing moves but they are on great hand holds. Go for it!

on the rappel, you can make it to the ground with two rappels from the bowl below the notch. make the first rap (two 60m lines needed) to the power failure anchors below, then rap straight down from there. two 60m lines BARELY reach the ground (you could easily downclimb the last 6' or so).

This route was super fun. It's got some unnecessary bolts, and may be a bit overgraded, but it's really excellent climbing in a stunning location. We went to the top of P5, where we rapped off a bush. Be careful of getting your rope stuck. We were able to move the knot past the edge and still have plenty of rope to get back to the P4 station.

The first rappel South from the notch to the bowl(slung chockstone) goes with one-60m rope (stretch). The main rappels East below the smiley face require 2 ropes and involve 3 drops if you diagonal over (climbers right) to the Power Failure pitch-2 anchors. We missed the set of anchors described by Alasdair (but still had a hassle-free descent).

A heads up for anyone who is climbing ginger cracks. On Oct 7,2011 I was part of a party of 3 who enjoyed our climb up however on the descent at the bottom of the bowl we could not find the rap anchor. *insert long story here* In the end it had been buried by a mudslide and was not visible. There was a fair amount of scree and lose rock coming down the bowl but I expect that is typical. However the anchors which are essentially on the lip were covered.

It was nice to have cell reception up there but it would have even been nicer if our buddies could have found a note like this telling us to dig. Hopefully no one else experiences this but if they do i hope this helps.

Also note that this rap anchor is the top anchor for Power Failure. If you can find the anchor the rap is an easy 2 raps on double 60m ropes.

Just climbed this route last week. A new one for me and a recon to evaluate the anchor condition for the power failure raps. There has been a BIG rockfall event which deposited a bunch of rock and carnage in the bowl where the power failure raps begin. We found the bolts and had to excavate them. They were undamaged but there is a bunch of loose rock to walk through getting to them. I was concerned that the bolts are placed in rock that is continually damp from a nearby spring and only 6 inches apart. kinda sketch

In regards to the first Rap anchor on power failure... It is still kind buried in mud, but the bolts seem fine and it isn't very hard to find. I moved most of the loose rock from the rock fall out of the way, so it is a bit safer now. Continue to use caution though especially if there is a party above as there is still a good amount of loose rock.

I did this route on Saturday, November 24th, with a friend and had a sweet time. Temps were amazing, climbing was fun, and the darkness that accompanied our rappel was unplanned, though still a good time.

Be advised, however, that because of the above mentioned rockfall somewhere up in the bowl and the resulting scree in the chute that gives you access to the 1st rappel at the top of Power Failure, this makes for a potentially very, very dangerous rockfall situation for anyone climbing Power Failure or rappelling Power Failure ahead of you. There is so much loose rock in that chute that it is very possible that you will send rocks down onto anyone on that route/rappel.

I was considering climbing Power Failure but have decided not to go anywhere near it until conditions above have changed.

I have to agree with both Jason and Buster. Getting to the anchors at the top of Power Failure was ridiculously sketchy for both myself as well as any parties that could have been climbing Power Failure. My partner was scrambling/down-climbing towards the anchors behind me but I had him stop, as a dislodged rock on his part could have easily sent me on the "E" ticket ride to the base. Even still, I had to walk with cat like reflexes to reach the anchors of Power Failure. The amount of loose rock in this gully above the anchors is pretty terrible. To clarify on the update of the anchors being covered I can confirm with Patrick's post that as of Halloween 2012 they were fully uncovered and visible.

When I get back here I will insist on climbing Ginger Cracks earlier and faster to hopefully have time to clean this descent up... Because this route deserves it as well as what looks like an insanely awesome route in Power Failure. I would certainly not climb, nor recommend anyone climb, Power Failure until this descent is cleaned up.

Perhaps even more sketchy than reaching the anchors of Power Failure was the initial rappel to even begin the approach to the anchors of Power Failure. We had climbed the traditional route, i.e: "P7: Climb the left facing corner, then move right to a weird dihedral above a bottomless chimney. This next section is hard to protect due to the zig-zag nature of the pitch. Stem up and finish the pitch at a notch (5.7, 160')"

This final pitch leaves you hopelessly in a 30 foot tall notch between the top of the alternate route, "The final pitch of Unimpeachable Groping" to your left, and the summit of the mountain on your right. Your only option is to rap off the backside of the route on a chock-stone slung with weathered slings and webbing.

I can't believe nobody has commented on this yet. Maybe everybody goes for the final pitch of impeachable groping, not sure. But for a climb that has bolted anchors on nearly every pitch, it seems like two extra bolts to make a safe rap off the route wouldn't be too much of an issue.

If you climb the original route I've described and not the final pitch of impeachable groping, then be prepared to leave behind a few shoulder length slings and a biner, enough webbing to sling the chockstone, or to just cross your fingers and commit to the weathered tat that is already installed.

We stupidly opted for the latter option, and I regret it to this day. $40 is not worth my life, or my partners, but I let it be on that rap. Thankfully we made down it without issue.

Once you reach the top anchor of Power Failure it is pretty much smooth sailing. The only other note I have is that on the third rap you hit a false ledge that has some rap slings on the bushes, but if you have two 60m ropes you can continue to the true base with plenty of rope to spare. I think this would probably be really obvious in daylight, but we were rapping in total darkness at this point.

Looking back on all this, especially doing it in the dark, made it somewhat of an epic, but I still give this route an absolute 4 star rating. We hiked in looking at 4 parties on C.C., plus a few more waiting at the base, and walked up to Ginger Cracks and had it all to ourselves the entire day. This is an insanely worthy route, and if it didn't have the weird scramble 6th pitch, I'm sure it rival any moderate multi-pitch route in the area... and perhaps it already does.

Storms this past fall have littered the slabs above the power failure raps with debris. Obviously, care is needed. It was sketchy enough prior to that. It is every climbers' responsibility to bring sufficient hardware to repair natural rap stations as needed. $40? 1/2" webbing is like 20 cents/foot. On any route with natural anchors, carry 30' and don't be worried about chopping your dyneema slings. Or leave a cordalette or something. The reason no one has commented on the chockstone rap is that it's pretty standard. It's a trad route - one would think that being prepared for traditional anchors would be a prerequisite to trad climbing. FWIW, the anchors on p.1-4 are retros. No more bolts needed. I'd rather rap off that chockstone than some 3/8x1.5" wedge bolt anyway.

I guided Ginger Cracks in early December, before Tyson G. I found the rappel off the chockstone to be completely suitable for my guest and I and did not find the need to back up the webbing at all. I doubt the webbing weathered considerably in the two weeks between my climb and Tyson's. However, we all have different levels of what is acceptable, and I find myself pretty conservative in this area, seeing as I am making a safety decision for not only my life (which I value considerably) but that of my guest as well. I do not feel the need for an additional rap station.

Additionally, we descended the bowl safely while there was a party of two climbing Power Failure. Yes there was some loose rock, however I didn't find it all that difficult to not knock it off. I believe most of us learned to walk before we climbed 5.9, and as such should know how to navigate such terrain. As we sat at the bottom of the bowl at the fully uncovered rap rings, I believe a grand total of one(1) small pebble was dislodged and I yelled the obligatory "rock!" The two climbers below thanked me, as the pebble bounced harmlessly more than 10 feet to climbers right. We completed our raps, and then proceeded to climb Power Failure ourselves as the party of two rapped through us.

I do not write this to say that there is no danger of rock fall at all, or that an accident couldn't happen. I write this to just say the danger may not be as great as some people may make it out to be. Also, I would like to remind everyone that rock climbing is dangerous, accidents can happen, and you might even die.

I climbed this on a 70 degree day in March and was surprised how cold I was on route. I ended up climbing in a R1 pullover all day and was glad to have it. To all the posters talking about how dangerous the walk off is for people on Power Failure....really? We walked down without knocking down a single pebble with very few issues. I assume if you are coordinated enough to climb 5.9 you are coordinated enough to walk down the bowl. Watch out for the cactus on your rope throw if you climb the last pitch of Unimpeachable Groping. There were two bolts on top of the Unimpeachable Groping for the rappel. All the rope pulls were reasonably easy and the descent was mellow for a Red Rock climb of this length. I climbed with a rack of doubles of #1 C3's through #3 Camalots, and a single rack of nuts and felt like it was adequate. In a couple of places I would of appreciated one smaller cam. Fun climb with nice belay ledges. If you haven't been to vegas before there are other climbs I'd point you towards but for those of us who have done many of the other classics this was a worthy route.

The rap off the top into the bowl really needs extension - the pull is hard! We were able to downclimb without kicking down any rocks but the party before us knocked off something rather large sounding. Really nice climb - its a shame un-necessary extra bolts have been added to the crux pitch!

a) thought the 5.8 'slot' was the crux b) the 5.9 'face' section on P.4 was more 5.8 and very chill with 3 bolts for the section. c) p.6 section (4th class) for us was only ~100ft and approached the anchor below start of p.7 from climber's right d) we had no idea where the 5.6 left-facing corner was for finish; we just did the ~9-10 bolted left side of P.7 top pitch (brown face withgreen lichen) to the top - felt 5.6-5.7. Very fun finish.

Fun climb, and every pitch is different! Well worth the hike up to the base of Ginger Buttress.

D…A…N…G…E…R!!! Just after the 5.easy move off the P5 belay as you start the P6 scramble, there is a small duffel-bag sized boulder that is dislodged and should probably be trundled. Be careful not to step on it with someone below you!

On the first pitch I started up the crack directly below the tree. Slightly awkward move but not terrible. For some reason I thought the flake to the right of the route was the correct way up. Liebacked that monster flake and had to run it out big time without any large gear. Felt more like a 5.8++ sequence. Not recommended.

Keep going past pitch four. The fifth pitch is fantastic and the fourth class is quick and painless. The views from the top of the buttress into the cirque over Power Failure are amazing.

Found the rap anchor referred to by Alasdair, the ones that make it two clean raps to get down from the bowl. We easily reached them using double 60's. When rapping down the middle of the water stains, the bolted/chained anchor will be on climber's left.

Also, at the start of P1, I led the rightward wide-ish crack with right side in the crack: 5.7 or 5.8 and protection using the suggested rack was ok.

Does anyone know if this can be rapped with a single 70m? We did this on 1/14/13, and we used double 70's to rappel (a pain to carry up the route, but all we had). My 70m rope is a bi-color, and it seemed that I never went past the half on rappel. I thought maybe more anchors had been added, but we got down in 3 raps.

Suggested rack: doubles .4-#3 C4 with a few small pieces. I placed a .2 and .3 x4 I brought a rack of nuts and only really placed 1 just so I can say I used it. So if you don't want to bring extra gear I'd just leave it at home.

Have your cordalette slung into a quad before you start the climb. 4 pitches have bolted belays with the 5th pitch the only one needing an anchor. the scramble pitch can be combined with the last pitch to the top...I opted to do the last pitch of UG that goes left after the scramble.

I would rather do this route than Crimson Crysalis any day. This climb actually involves more crack climbing than CC. I remember only placing 3 pieces of gear on CC and clipping the millions of bolts on that route.

The walk down the bowl to the rap anchors isn't as bad as last time I've been up there from doing Unimpeachable. It's fairly easy to walk to the edge without knocking any rock down, just twinkly toe yourself down.